Re: Bob Ryan Castrates Antoine Walker,

It is like I wrote yesterday, typical Boston media consisting of reporters
who have this ideal image of a franchise player and if a player deviates
from this norm then he is a punk. It's unfortunate that a reporter of Ryan's
caliber has to resort to name calling. After all there is a reason, why Mo
Vaughn almost assaulted Dan Shaughnessy and I was hoping he landed a couple
of punches on him. Now let's see why he thinks AW is a punk:
>Antoine Walker is such an arrogant, misguided, yes, punk, that there is
>nothing either M.L. Carr, Rick Pitino, or The Pope could do with this
>kid. There is nothing left to teach him because it is quite obvious he
>is of the firm opinion that, 25 days before his 22d birthday, he knows
>all he will ever need to know about what it takes to be a true success
>in the NBA.
Now I have known a lot of 21 year olds who are arrogant, who think they know
everything in their field of endeavour. They straighten out not, because
somebody keeps reminding them of their indequecies but, because of the
experience. What is so unique about that?
>There is much good to be said about Antoine Walker on the basketball
>floor. At 6 feet 8 inches, he is almost always too quick for the man
>trying to guard him. He has both inside and outside scoring
>capabilities. There is no question that he is the only legitimate post
>player the Celtics have, and that he can also hurt people with threes.
>He is death in transition. Getting his own shot is no problem.
>And whatever his nightly scoring situation, be it 10 for 15 or 3 for 18,
>he never shirks his rebound duties. He is far and away the best Celtics
>rebounder, and that counts for a lot.
If all of the above is true then what is the problem? AW is a basketball
player and as per the above paragraph, Ryan concedes, that he is a very good
one. So, why not stop at that, instead of resorting to calling names. Looks
like the summer is getting to Bob, he needs to chill out.
>Flip side: he is an erratic defensive player, as befits a
>soon-to-be-22-year-old. He has atrocious shot selection, and atrocious
>judgment in general, as befits a soon-to-be-22-year-old. With his skill,
>he should be more than a 42 percent shooter. With his skill, he should
>not be leading the league in turnovers (292, or 48 more than the
>volatile Allen Iverson, who we can conservatively estimate handles the
>ball twice as much). For someone who gets himself to the line as often
>as he does (473, or
We have hashed and rehashed this over and over again so what is new? If
Walker had no weaknesses he would be comparable to the great players of his
generation right now. Walker needs to work on all these aspects of his game,
and with time they will improve as has happened in the case of other young
players.
>There's more. He has a big mouth on the floor, and the officials make
>him pay for itto the tune of 30 technicals in two seasons. Worse yet,
>his juvenile mugging is classless. It irritates opponents - yes,
>Antoine, people on other clubs really do hate you - and it embarrasses
>the organization.
Antoine needs to learn how to deal with officials, but since when having a
big mouth on the floor became a crime. I mean everybody does that, so what
is the big deal. Regarding technicals, the officials whistled Malone for
more technicals than AW and I am not defending AW getting technicals but
merely saying that such things happen during the course of a game.
> He is the most gifted player on the team, but in no
>sense is he a leader, as, it should be pointed out, likewise befits a
>soon-to-be-22 year-old.
That may be but if he is not the leader then who is ? Pervis Ellison, Ron
Mercer.
>Consider a few of the things Antoine Walker told our Michael Holley this
>past week:
>
>1. Let me tell you, no veteran All-Star player shows up for a camp like
>that. For the rest of my career, I'll never go to a camp like that.
>Never.
>
>One borderline All-Star appearance at age 21 and now he's a veteran
>All-Star?
This is an immature statement from a 21 year old, and should be left at
that. RP needs to talk with AW on this and this shouldn't be made a media
issue.
>2. Pierce is a good player... He's a guy who can come off the bench and
>give scoring to our second unit ... But I know our team needs. We need
>big people.
Everybody has been saying this for a while so AW said it too, except that he
needs to phrase his sentences right. If he had said "Pierce is a great
aquisition and now we need to address the big man situation", the same
journalists would have remarked that he is aware of the team needs.
>4. You work hard to get at a certain level ... And I can't maintain it
>like this when my coach isn't behind me.
This is a shot at RP for his comment on hwo he is disappointed with AW not
being in the camp. My problem with RP is why can't he resolve these things
internally without airing his views in the media. Even if he wants to trade
AW, doesn't it show AW in a negative light and wasn't it RP who on taking
the job said "I have learnt in the Knicks organization never to bad mouth
our players".
>Huh? Is this the same coach who declared on his own television show,
>apropos of the Walker contract situation, that ''The most important
>person in this organization isn't me; it's Antoine Walker?''
It is also the same player who has time and again said that he wants to
remain a celtic for ever.
>5.Right now I'm at the point where I need to get to the next level. And
>that means making the playoffs and winning the championship ... I have
>to look at all my options ... Hey, we could finish 36-46 again. That's
>something I have to think about.
>
>Oh, please. He's not yet 22 and he's played a scant two years. He's
>trying to come off sounding like a worthy 10-year veteran who has paid
>true dues, rather than a snotty punk who has no idea what it takes to
>win a championship at this level.
He has been handed the responsibility of a 10 year old veteran so why should
he not sound like one. To me the above statement sounds like a goal, so what
is wrong with that.
>It is clear that anyone giving Antoine Walker $70 million, $80 million,
>$90 million, or $100 million dollars, guaranteed, must understand that
>he will immediately take it as a validation of his greatness. He feels
>no need for improvement. He is, after all, a veteran All-Star.
That is bullshit, it is the way the NBA works like it or not. In NBA one is
paid for potential and that's why AW, SAR, McDyess will make whatever they
make.
- Mishra